Did the Verizon iPhone 4 get a good review?

After four years, the iPhone has finally come to Verizon. There has been talk and hype over the recent news that Verizon has secured the Apple iPhone 4 for their network. The iPhone was only available exclusively through AT&T until January 11, 2011 when Verizon COO of Verizon Lowell McAdam announced the much anticipated news.

The Verizon iPhone 4 isn't so different from the AT&T Version of the iPhone 4 released previously but there is enough of a difference in standard performance and features that it brings reasonable consumer choice. Verizon's CDMA network causes some challenges in providing all the features of the AT&T network, like the ability to roam worldwide. The Verizon iPhone 4 also cannot access data and voice features at the same time.

The Verizon iPhone 4 has a Hotspot connection feature that the AT&T version does not have but it is not always reliable and cannot stay connected during a call. This can be rather bothersome if you are getting several calls while trying to browse the web while in a coffee shop. Reconnecting to the Hotspot is not always fast. Hopefully in the next release this feature will be upgraded. The Verizon network allowed for faster call connections than AT&T and also gets faster data rates.

As for appearance and styling, nothing major has changed from the iPhone's original design. There are a few differences, which will be pointed out, but overall it is smooth and has a stunning high-resolution display and both phones are the same size and weight. The great features that both versions share include the 5MP camera, all the great and popular iPhone apps, the mobile Safari browser, and FaceTime. The camera is one of the best available resolutions on a Smartphone available right now. It includes an LED flash that doesn't use all of the battery like others.

As for differences, when looking at the phone's sides where the buttons are located, you will notice some small changes. The CDMA antenna caused the side buttons to be moved closer. This doesn't affect usability but a different case is needed or a Universal iPhone Case from Apple. Also, there is no SIM card slot due to the CDMA. The Verizon phone also runs on a different OS than the AT&T version. The Verizon iPhone 4 runs on iOS 4.2.6 while the AT&T iPhone runs on the older 4.2.1 although Apple says that 4.2.6 is unique to the Verizon network to accommodate the CDMA network and the Hotspot feature.

It remains to be seen if the the Verizon iPhone 4 will be a successful phone for Verizon because in 2011, it is a market saturated with advanced and mature devices with more features. In 2007, when the original iPhone debuted, it was no doubt revolutionary and even in 2010 when the original iPhone 4 was debuted but the market is now different and many devices on the Verizon network will still outsell and outperform the iPhone 4.